


The Worlds You Keep Erasing and Creating in Your Mind

by FearNoEvil



Series: Hamilsquad vs. College [2]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Adventure, College AU, Dungeons and Dragons, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Most other characters are mentioned or minor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-11 06:13:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5616577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FearNoEvil/pseuds/FearNoEvil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John has wanted to play Dungeons and Dragons since junior high, but never had friends to play with.  In college, however, his best friend is Alexander Hamilton, who loves complex systems, talking interminably, planning extensively, and erasing and creating worlds in his mind!  All in all, the perfect Dungeon Master.  Alex and friends are determined to give John and his idealistic paladin character some great memories before he has to go home to his father for Christmas, but their plans may be foiled by John's roommate Aaron, who plays the game TO WIN.</p><p>This fic is fairly accessible to non-gamers by virtue of Alex explaining things to a party of first-time players.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Dream

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea from this prompt on the Hamilton Prompts tumblr:
> 
> "Hamilsquad playing Dungeons and Dragons. bonus points for absolutely ridiculous things happening: like rolling to push a bed off the rooftop, getting a natural 20, and then the bed ROCKETING OFF INTO SPACE or some shit like that. or trying a stealth roll, getting a 1, and dying an ignominious death. (Laurens gets out of the game that way.)"
> 
> http://hamiltonprompts.tumblr.com/post/134987528891/hamilsquad-playing-dungeons-and-dragons-bonus
> 
> Since I have a tiny bit of experience with DnD myself I thought it sounded fun. Also couldn't resist a truly stupid amount of lyrical references.
> 
> Rated T just to be safe; nothing too objectionable happens so far, but I can't really imagine really angry Hamilton NOT swearing at least a little. Everything will remain less objectionable and lower stakes than the musical itself, though. Swearing is all mild and no one dies in real life.
> 
> Enjoy! :D

How does a bastard orphan from an island far away  
Unite his pack of friends through a group role-play?  
How do two immigrants, three rich kids, and their working-class RA  
Become wizards, bards and warriors at the end of each school-day?  
Like most tales I’ll be telling, it began with one keen dream  
That the dreamer’s friends soon clung to for escape from academe  
So listen now, my children, and you’ll hear a silly story  
Of how six minds spin a fantasy or maybe an allegory  
Of them struggling to navigate the world of their creation  
Of how Hamilton handles being god of imagination . . .

 

“I know – I know it’s . . . maybe kinda juvenile,” said John uncertainly, looking anywhere but back at Alexander, who was hunched down over the book and absorbed in reading.

  
But when Alex looked up from the pages of the _Dungeon Master’s Guide_ for the first time in five whole minutes, his expression was one of joy and wonder. “It’s not juvenile – it’s _brilliant_!” he exclaimed.

  
The smile was so infectious that John couldn’t help but return it, a little uncertainly. “You think so?”

  
“Ingenious!” he insisted emphatically. “It’s a whole system, a means to create your own world, your own government systems, make it anything you want to be, and test it out! It’s an exercise in imagination and forethought! It allows for risk-free explorations of your most far-flung ambitions and dreams under the guise of mere entertainment! It’s a paradise for megalomaniacs with overactive imaginations who want nothing more than to bring the realms of their deepest thoughts into existence and show them to others! It’s a facade for everyone to become and explore who they most want to be and interact and debate with those dreams of others! Honestly, John, I can’t believe you never showed this to me before!”

  
John couldn’t help laughing, as much in relief as at how passionately and verbosely Alexander was already speaking about it. “I’m glad,” he said. “I’ve had these books – and wanted to play since junior high,” he admitted. “But I never got to because I never really had any friends who wanted to before . . .”

  
“Friends who wouldn’t want to are complete brain-dead _fools_ , John,” Alex stated bluntly, “and you should really reassess why you’re friends with them at all!”

  
“So you wouldn’t think it was a – a waste of time? Just pretending?” John asked hopefully.

  
“John, look at what I do with my spare time! Model UN, debate club, mock trial, reenactment! Everything I _do_ is pretending, preparing for what I want to really be doing! And you’ve just handed me the means to create _an entire world of my own_ , John!”

  
He was so emphatic, eyes blazing with that familiar manic glint, that John allowed himself to hope. He exhaled, began nervously, “Yeah, so I know you’re really busy, Alex . . .”

  
“You as DM or me as DM?”

  
“I know running one of these things takes a lot of time and effort . . .”

  
“You as DM or me as DM?”

  
“But if somehow, before I have to home for Christmas, if somehow you could find a bit of time, it would really mean a lot –”

  
“John, we’re doing this,” Alexander interrupted. “Do you want to be the Dungeon Master or do you want to be a player and let me run it?”

  
John blinked, surprised. “You can run it!”

  
“Let’s go!”

 * * *

Alexander took all of the Dungeons and Dragons books to his room and locked himself away to read them insatiably. His and Lafayette’s dorm was only four doors down from John and Aaron’s, but John had so many heavy manuals and Alex was such a tiny little guy that John insisted on helping him carry them over. Alex only mildly objected. He found in general that he could only mildly object to anything John did, however much it might irritate him in other men. John was so very guileless in all his endeavors that Alex was beginning to believe it impossible for anyone to be truly angry at him.

  
In the next three days, he dedicated every free minute to learning how to be a Dungeon Master.  Eliza sent him four concerned texts which he answered with short reassurances featuring smiley emojis – _You know me, Eliza. Just absorbed in a new project. :)_    It wasn’t until 3:39 in the morning on the third day after acquiring the books that he left his room for anything that wasn’t required of him.

  
Not wanting to wake Lafayette, Alexander closed the door slowly and tiptoed down the hall to a John and Aaron’s room. Peaking at his watch and cringing, he hesitated for a split second, staring at their colorful door decs. The floor’s theme seemed to be video game characters, and Laurens was represented by an angry-looking pink ball who seemed to be called Kirby, whereas Burr’s avatar was a suave-looking mustachioed agent with a headband and a grey body suit who was apparently named Snake. Alongside these was the occupant's name and some information.

  
Aaron Burr  
Sophomore  
Hometown: Newark, New Jersey  
Expected Major: Undecided

John Laurens  
Freshman  
Hometown: Charleston, South Carolina  
Expected Major: ~~Biology (pre-Med) Polical Science (pre-Law)~~ Undecided (pre-law)

Hamilton knocked and waited. When no response came, he knocked again, and this time he heard an aggravated moan from within – an encouraging sound. Aaron answered the door.

  
“Hamilton, what the _hell_?” he said. “It’s the middle of the night.”

  
“I need to speak to –” Alex began.

  
“You here to see John?” Burr cut in, rubbing his eyes. “I swear, you people – if you want to have your little slumber parties and tell each other your secrets in the middle of the night, why can’t you just send him a quiet text like a normal person?”

  
“No, I’m actually here to see you,” Alexander replied. Burr stared confusedly, and saw only earnestness in his eyes. “Can we confer?”

  
“OK?” said Burr, his expression quizzical.

  
“I want you to play in our Dungeons and Dragons campaign,” said Alex firmly.

  
Burr blinked. “Dungeons and Dragons. You mean those silly books John has?”

  
“They’re not silly, they’re – wait, John showed them to you? He wouldn’t show them to me until three days ago!”

  
“He didn’t show me. I just saw them. I’m his roommate. Anyway, what makes you think I should dedicate my time sitting with your friends who don’t even like me, playing make-believe and pretending to be an elf?”

  
“Well, you don’t have to play an elf –”

  
“You know what I mean, Hamilton!”

  
“Well, but if you played with us, maybe you all could be better friends!” Alexander insisted. “And John _usually_ likes you fine! Do it for John; he had his heart set on it!”

  
Burr was unmoved.  “Go away, Alexander.”

  
“I will never understand you,” said Alex abruptly, “and I need that, in the game. The challenge of what your character will bring to the table. The _contrast_ with my other friends. The unexpected.”

  
“What?”

  
“Everyone else at the table, Burr, I get along with at least 75% of the time. It’ll be too easy! I need you to come take a stand and give me a challenge!”

  
“Can you not _survive_ if you’re not fighting with someone, Hamilton?!?” Burr laughed, shaking his head. “I don’t _want_ to play your silly game. Good night!”

  
But Hamilton held the door. “Burr, you’re a better lawyer than me,” he said abruptly. “There are these players, the Dungeon Master’s Guide says, known as Rules Lawyers. They learn the rules as well as the DM, and are always arguing with him about technical matters. I read that, and just thought – it’s got to be Aaron Burr!”

  
“I’m glad you thought of me! Good _night!”_

  
“But don’t you want to prove to everyone that you’re a better lawyer than me, Burr?”

  
“I prove that every time there’s a mock trial meet, my friend,” said Burr, tilting his head to the side.

  
Indignation crept over Alexander’s face for a moment, but he quelled it just as quickly. “You get to – you get act out your power fantasies!” he insisted desperately. “I know you have ambition, Aaron. I know you want to be – be _respected._ Your character could be so respected, _so_ powerful!”

  
_“Now_ you think you understand me,” said Burr, shaking his head and beginning to swing the door shut once again.

  
“Burr, wait!” hissed Hamilton. His eyes were blazing; he had worked himself into a passion, standing _so_ firmly for something _so_ inconsequential at four in the morning.

  
“Hamilton, I swear, I’m going to send a noise complaint –”

  
“It’s not a silly game, Burr,” said Hamilton fervently. “It’s like – it’s a like a whole _history,_ one you can create and change and manipulate. It’s the whole world in your hands, it’s like a God complex. All this world-changing stuff happening, and because the DM says so, _you_ get to be a part of it! Like – oceans rise, empires fall! And _you_ get to be in the room where it happens!”

  
There was a pause, while Burr licked his lips and contemplated Alexander.

 

And then he said: “ . . . Go on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hamilton's door dec is Sonic. Of course it is.
> 
> I'm windmilltothestars on tumblr is you want to talk!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are lovely and the next chapter should be up soon!!


	2. The Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and the gang sit down to create their characters and have Alex explain the game to the newbies. They get sidetracked only a few times by gossip and ideological debates.
> 
> Contains mentions of Nazis and slavery.

On Saturday afternoon, Alex found himself seated against the wall at a round table in one of the study rooms in the student center, facing four of his players. Herc, the good-humored sophomore RA of their floor, took the seat closest on Alex’s left. Beside him was Lafayette. Beside him, and almost directly across from Hamilton, was Aaron Burr, followed by John himself.

  
“Is everyone here?” asked Herc after a moment’s silence.

  
“Not yet; we’re waiting on Eliza,” said Alex.

  
“You invited Eliza?” Burr asked unenthusiastically.

  
“Yeah, she thought it sounded fun,” said Alex, already sounding very defensive. “Why?”

  
“The Dungeon Master’s girlfriend always ruins the game,” said Aaron. “She doesn’t know how to play, and the DM always gives her preferential treatment so she doesn’t get mad.”

  
“ _None of you_ know how to play yet!” Alex snapped, color leaping into his cheeks and his voice rising dangerously. “Except John. She’ll be just as good a player as _you_ are, Aaron!”

  
“I’m not questioning her intelligence, Hamilton; I’m just questioning how impartial you’ll be with her, if you’ll actually make her pay for her mistakes. You’re not exactly a detached kind of guy . . .”

  
“But I like _everyone_ in this room! If you’re saying I’ll give her unfair advantages because I _like_ her, then by that logic I’d let you _all_ get away with everything! And if you’re saying she’s going to _expect_ preferential treatment in the game because we’re dating, then you’re insulting _her_ as much as _me,_ because Eliza is not like that _at all_ if you know her, and on top of _that_ –”

  
Herc stopped listening, heaved a sigh and leaned over to whisper to Lafayette. “Why did Alex invite Aaron?”

  
Lafayette shrugged. “They are friends,” he replied simply.

  
“They get in an argument literally every time they meet!” Herc pointed out.

  
_“Oui,_ that is true, but it cannot have escaped your notice that our Alexander _loves_ to argue,” Lafayette concluded.

  
“Mmmm,” Herc concurred, and leaned back into his chair, just as Eliza burst into the room, flushed.

  
“Sorry I’m late, everyone!” she said cheerfully, brushing her dark hair out of her eyes and beaming around at them all.

  
“You’re _barely_ late,” said Alex, his expression changing instantaneously from the heated glare he was directing at Burr to the warm awe of beholding his beloved Eliza. His clenched fists relaxed. He reached out and took her hand. “Here, sit here,” he said, indicating the chair between him and Laurens, “you can be seated at my right hand.”

  
Eliza sat down. “I was late because I was getting snacks to bring,” she explained. Everyone looked up at her quickly, expectantly, before she reached into her bag and produced a box of a dozen variety doughnuts, which she set victoriously in the center of the table. Noises of thanks and appreciation sounded from around the table as the boys made frantic grabs for their favorite flavors.

  
“Eliza is the best of all of us,” Laurens said fervently with his mouth full and his eyes closed in silent appreciation of the cinnamon sugar confection.

  
“ _Je suis d'accord_ ,” agreed Lafayette, savoring a chocolate old-fashioned.

  
“Well put, John,” said Alex, examining the maple bar in his hand as if he had never seen one before, before turning to send a triumphant glower at Burr. “Aaron thought you wouldn’t contribute, and would just ruin this campaign because I would give your character preferential treatment to win myself favor in our relationship. But you don’t expect that, do you, Eliza?”

  
“Oh, no, of course not, Alex!” Eliza returned emphatically, breaking her glazed doughnut in half with her fingers, nibbling the end and turning to smile at Burr. “I know Alex has got to be impartial!”

  
“There you go! Burr was _wrong!_ You’ll be great player! Burr was wrong on fifty-seven different levels, which is a new high for him.”

  
“Fifty-seven?” Burr asked incredulously, somewhat amused.

  
“I can make an itemized list,” Alex told him with certainty. “All the ways Eliza’s presence will contribute positively to our gameplay experience!”

  
“I’m _sure_ you could,” Herc broke in, swallowing his last bite of cruller, “but I think everyone’s here now, so maybe we should get started, Alex?”

  
“Right,” said Alex, running a harried hand through his long dark hair and shifting some books off of his blank character sheets, still lukewarm from the library printer. “And no one else – no one else brought a friend along? Not too late to invites someone! I mean I feel kind of bad for Eliza being the only girl here so if anyone has like a girlfriend or something in this country, they could text her, so Eliza doesn’t feel so outnumbered.”

  
This made John giggle for some reason. “Aaron can’t do _that,”_ he snickered.

  
“What d’you mean?” Alex began, turning from John to Burr. “Does he mean – Aaron, _you_ have a girlfriend? You should have brought her along!”

  
Burr looked embarrassed and glared at Laurens. “She can’t come. She had to meet her _real_ boyfriend today.”

  
“Her real boyfriend?”

  
“You wouldn’t know him. He goes to another school – the one everyone _says_ is gonna kick our asses at mock trial next weekend. He’s like the star player of the team, so she’s only with him for the status,” Aaron explained quickly, looking at the desk.

  
“Which is a motive you of all people can respect, I suppose?” guessed Lafayette, with a twisted smile.

  
Burr gave a nod. “No one is _supposed_ to know about us,” he added after a pause, looking back up at John, “but my _roommate_ happened to get home at an inopportune time.”

  
John was too busy laughing to be abashed by Aaron’s stern gaze. Alex, however, seemed genuinely interested. “Well, don’t be _ashamed_ of her, Burr, if you love her! What’s her name?”

  
“Theodosia,” Aaron replied with a surprised smile, speaking the word like it was holy. “If Theodosia was in this game, she’d be a better player than any of us!”

  
“And I’m sure she’s lovely,” put in Herc, “but as she can’t come, I think we’re all here, so can we get started with the actual reason we’re here sometime today?”

  
He was looking pointedly at Alex, who reddened and nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “So. We’re here to prepare our Dungeons and Dragons campaign. I am your Dungeon Master, and you all the players, the heroes of the story. I create a world and a situation, the world around you, I tell the story and control all of the outside elements, but your characters and your choices are all the driving forces of the story. If I want it to go in a certain direction, I can nudge outside forces or Non-Playable Characters – NPCs – toward you to try to get you to go there, but in the end, it’s up to the party. All your characters – the Player Characters or PCs – will work together to accomplish your goals. Collectively you’re the party. You all a here to play the game and have fun, and I am here to facilitate a world and an environment in which you can have the most fulfilling play experience. However, not everything I want or you want you can just do, on a whim. Some things require skills and, like in real life, you don’t always control who lives, who dies, etcetera. There’s an element of random chance, which we simulate by rolling dice. So say Eliza’s character wants to swing her sword at an angry goblin – first she’ll roll to see if she hits or misses, and then if she hits, she’ll roll to see how much damage she does.

  
“Today will just be about creating your characters, and once we’ve done that, I can try to work out the best plot for them, based on their attributes and backstories. Laurens, alas, doesn’t want to do a Revolutionary War campaign, so while I finish up your setting, you’re going to operate under the assumption that these characters exist in a fantastic world, filled with your standard-issue dragons and adventure and such. We’ll be using the 3.5 system, since John likes it best—”

  
“Shouldn’t you put that to a vote, at least?” Burr interrupted.

  
“No!” said Alex irritably. “This is not a democracy, Aaron. The DM chooses the system. And the DM agreed to do this because John wanted to, and John wanted to use 3.5! Besides, what to the rest of you even know about the differences between the systems?”

  
“Well, I, at least, did a little research on some forums, which is where I read that the Dungeon Master’s girlfriend ruins everything. 4th edition had warlocks, which sounded cool, and didn’t bother with bards,” said Burr with a smile. “It might be a better option. Maybe.”

  
“Well, you’re wrong,” said Alex flatly. “3.5 is the most beloved system there is! I’ve already started my notes using 3.5 mechanics and printed out 3.5-based character sheets. We’re doing 3.5.”

  
“OK,” Burr muttered, “it’s not like I’m allowed to have opinions.”

  
“God _dam_ mit, Aaron,” said Alex, in agony. “Yes, I’m utterly _rejoicing_ that you’ve managed to actually express an opinion, however wrong it is, and I know democracy is very important, but even _democracy_ would be nothing without a strong central government, so for the purposes of the game running smoothly, an understanding of the authority of the DM is absolutely essential, you understand?”

  
“Yes, it’s _OK,_ Alex,” Burr laughed, once again impressed by the earnest gravity radiating from Alex’s agonized expression and clenched fists, “just remember you brought me here to argue with you.”

  
“Yes, it helps me, thank you,” said Alex through clenched teeth. “And I’d try to be more calm and civil when I debate with _you,_ but –”

  
“—but then you wouldn’t be Alexander Hamilton,” John finished, with an affectionate grin.

  
Alex nodded, and sat down as if exhausted.

  
“Anyway, now that’s settled, 3.5 is good, character sheets, let’s do this,” said Herc, reaching forward and seizing the character sheets stacked in front of Alexander. He took one and passed them around the circle. Eliza passed the extras back to Alexander with an encouraging smile.

  
Alex took a deep breath. “Alright, so the first things to choose for your character are race and class,” said Alex. He picked a stack of other books up off of the _Player’s Handbook_ which they had been holding open to the right page and placed it in their midst.

  
“Race and class?” Herc asked confusedly. “You mean like –”

  
“Like the _bourgeoisie?”_ asked Lafayette.

  
“No!” Alex corrected quickly. “Race like if you’ve seen _Lord of the Rings_ – elves and dwarves and that kind of thing. Class in D &D is like your profession or your function on the team; so if you want to cast spells you can be a wizard or sorcerer, and if you want to swing heavy weaponry around, you can be a fighter or barbarian. Your character gets certain bonuses and certain abilities from which fantastic race they are, but mostly that’s an aesthetic choice. Your class is how you really decide who you are – _well,_ that and your Alignment.”

  
“Why do we get to pick our race? Wouldn’t it be more realistic if we were just born into some race at random?” asked Herc.

  
“It _is_ a little unfair,” John admitted quietly.

  
“If anyone wants, I can just roll the die and randomly choose your race,” said Alex, in his element, picking up his d12, “but the point is what you would find most interesting or have the most fun with. We’re stretching our imaginations. Playing this game isn’t going to be just like real life. Your characters will have various advantages and disadvantages over real people that we’ll get to hash out over the course of the campaign. They’ll face real-life problems just as often as they’ll fight dragons and roll to decide if they successfully convinced somebody of something. Like I said, a lot of the time choosing your race is more an aesthetic choice or an attitude choice than anything. Your class decides more of what you can actually do in the game. Does anyone want me to roll and choose for you?”

  
“I’m going to look at the options first,” said Eliza decisively, pulling the _Player’s Handbook_ closer to her.

  
“I always wanted to be a half-elf,” said John uncertainly. “But if we’re all choosing randomly . . .”

  
“You can be a half-elf, John,” said Alex mildly. “Write it down on your character sheet. Also if you think of what you want your character’s name to be, write that down. Then once Eliza chooses, she can pass the book and you can all decide.”

  
“Or we could share, I don’t want to hog it!” Eliza said quickly, shoving the book closer to the center and standing up to lean over it. “Everyone come look . . .”

  
The players pored over the pages in relative silence, examining the attributes of each race in turn.

  
“What’s constitution?” asked Herc. “It says dwarves get a +2 to constitution.”

  
“One of your stats,” Alex explained. “Basically, it’s how sturdy you are, your resistance to physical damage. How well you can take a hit, or withstand disease or cold.”

  
“You must have terrible constitution, Alex,” Herc laughed.

  
Alex continued on, but with a bit of a glare. “There are six base stats – your Wisdom, Intelligence, Charisma, Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. They determine how well you can do certain things, have certain skills, and react in certain situations. Some classes rely more on different stats – bards need charisma, fighters use strength, and wizards rely on intelligence, for example. Each skill you choose is also linked to one of your base stats, so if you want to be able to swim as a skill, make sure you have decent strength. Once you choose your race and class, we’ll roll the dice and you and place the good rolls in the stats you want higher and the lower rolls in the one you don’t care as much about.”

  
Everyone nodded their understanding.

  
“I think I want to be a Halfling,” announced Eliza.

  
“Then by all means, dear, be a Halfling,” Alex grinned.

  
In short order, they all chose: Lafayette was a gnome, John a half-elf, and Herc and Burr were both human.

  
“So for class,” Alex put in, pleased at the progress being made, “usually it’s good to have a balanced party, so your efforts will have a wide range of skills at their disposal. So if you’re all wizards, and there’s something that needs the skills of a more martial fighter, you’ll be out of luck. Therefore it’s usually recommended that a party has at least one strong physical fighter, one magic user, one stealthy, underhanded class, and sometimes some kind of healer. So voice your preferences, and then discuss with the group so you’ll have a good balance. Understood?”

  
The players, nodding, again gathered around the book in the center to read up on their options – except John. He had decided long ago that he wanted to play a paladin. This selection was going fairly smoothly as well – Lafayette was comparing and contrasting the benefits of wizards vs. sorcerers, Herc had become fixated on the concept of Armor Class, and Burr had agreed without protest that he would fill the ‘stealthy’ role as a Rogue – until Eliza spoke up.

  
“I think I’m gonna be a bard,” she said.

  
_“Don’t_ be a bard,” Aaron protested.

  
“Why not?” asked Eliza.

  
“She can be whatever she wants, Aaron,” said Herc defensively.

  
“Yeah, why are you antagonizing Eliza?” Alex demanded.

  
“I’m not antagonizing Eliza,” Burr explained patiently. “I just don’t see how bards will be useful. There’s widespread support on the forums I read that agrees bards are useless. And if you’re fighting a dragon, Lafayette’s gonna be casting a spell at it, and John’s hitting it with his Sword of Self-Righteousness, but Eliza’s just gonna – sing it a pretty song? What good does that do?”

  
“Songs have the power to _stir the soul_ , Aaron!” Alex protested. “In the game, the bard’s performances will have various effects on the party members and other NPCs. And Eliza’s character will have the power of story! She’ll hold in her hands the ability to change hearts and minds with her song! She will get to record the great exploits of the party! Think of folk music, Aaron! It’s always been the last line of protest. Songs, ideas, that are shared, so joyously, that despite whatever oppression of the world or martial forces, can keep those hopes and ideas alive! Can keep the tales, the _legacies_ of heroes alive, _immortal_ in our memory! That’s what the bard does; _that’s_ maybe the greatest power of them all!”

  
“I wrote a paper in high school about the cultural significance of spirituals in the slaveholding south,” piped up John.

  
“You should show it to me so we can use it to shut down Aaron,” Alex put in fiercely.

  
“Oh, it wasn’t that good, especially not compared to the stuff you were writing at that age,” said John dismissively. “My dad didn’t like it . . .”

  
“Is your dad a _Neo-Nazi_?” demanded Alex.

  
“Oh no; he was right,” said John sadly, looking down at the table. “I made juvenile mistakes. My brother Jemmy liked it when I read it to him, but, I mean – he was _five.”_

  
“He sounds like the only one in your family with any sense,” Alex reassured him warmly, before turning back to confront Burr again. “How are you going to tell this guy, an expert on the power of music to withstand oppression, that bards are useless, Aaron?”

  
“All the spirituals I know are about waiting for deliverance or death to end their suffering,” said Aaron calmly. “Not about outright resistance. They aren’t about changing things themselves. They’re just . . . willing to _wait for it_ . . . And yeah, luckily, the slaves eventually did get emancipated, but I doubt it had much to do with the songs they sang.”

  
“And how do you know?” demanded Alex, his fists clenching tighter than Aaron had ever seen before, even in his most intense debates with Thomas. “Who are _you_ to say that those songs didn’t play a role in changing the minds and the hearts of the people who heard them, moving them to kindness and empathy for the oppression the saw? Who are you to say that they didn’t _write their own deliverance_? You’re talking to the guy who wrote _poetry_ that changed people’s hearts to escape a living _hell!_ Bards are LEGIT, so _SIT DOWN, AARON!”_

  
Aaron was already sitting down, but everyone was staring at Alex in deep concern. After a good half a minute of heavy breathing, he, too, sat down, and breathed a small, “Sorry.”

  
“I think we should let Eliza be a bard,” said Herc diplomatically.

  
“I concur,” said Burr, deciding the argument that all of that had little effect on the usefulness of bards in actual gameplay was a point not worth bringing up. “So we’ve got a rogue, a bard, and a paladin so far; hurry and choose, Herc, Lafayette!”

  
Lafayette quickly settled on a wizard, Herc on a fighter. A drained Alex felt compelled to explain Alignment to them, but everyone agreed that was a simple enough concept. Herc and Lafayette both settled on Chaotic Good, Eliza on Neutral Good, and John’s class compelled him to be Lawful Good. To no one’s surprise, Burr elected to be True Neutral.

  
Everyone rolled their stats in relative silence as well. Alex’s outburst seemed to have made everyone wary. There were only two eighteens rolled for the whole party – one for Lafayette, which he placed in Intelligence, and one for Hercules, which he placed it in Strength. John placed his lowest role of five in Wisdom, and everyone except Hercules, who shrugged that he wasn’t playing himself, wanted to have at least decent scores in Intelligence and Charisma.

  
Lafayette picked an owl as his familiar and Hercules again became fascinated by the armor selections. While picking skills, people became a bit more talkative again (“Why do you care about Handle Animal, John? It’s not going to relevant to you and you don’t have the right stats for it!” “I just want to! I _like_ animals!”)

When all the stats and skills had been chosen, Alex tasked them all with writing their character’s backstories and sharing them with him so that he could prepare the campaign accordingly. When he dismissed them all, Burr left, Lafayette and Herc both stopped to thank him, Eliza gave him a kiss on the cheek before running off to practice her piano, and only John waited to help him pack up his books.

  
“How’d I do?” Alex asked. “Everything you hoped for?”

  
“You did great. I couldn’t have explained things have so well,” John replied, putting three manuals in his backpack. “Burr just has such a different approach to how to play than I ever thought of. I just hope we get along better when we’re actually playing.”

  
But Alex scoffed. “Now where would be the fun in that?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The REAL mystery of this chapter is what kind of doughnut Burr ate. The world may never know!!
> 
> I had a lot of trouble with this chapter, and I apologize for it being a lot of explaining. Talk to me if you have questions or if you think I got some D&D thing wrong. I still don't get Armor Class myself. I had all my brother's D&D books at my disposal, EXCEPT the 3.5 Player's Handbook. Next chapter they will actually start the campaign, I promise! And there will be more of Lafayette and Herc than there was here!
> 
> I, like Alex, struggle to understand Aaron Burr. But I think here I was focusing on him being motivated by practicality rather than romantic notions, like some of the other players. And he was the guy so concerned about his reputation/ expressing opinions, so if he was going to risk playing this nerdy game, he was at least going to predict the player's opinions, and know how to be the coolest nerd. (He just didn't bank on other being completely earnest nerds.)
> 
> I love bards, as you may have guessed. My brother, who introduced me to D&D, didn't object to them, but he listened to some podcasts that were very disparaging of them, and I got very defensive of bards as a result. I think all this meshes well with themes of Hamilton, too.
> 
> Anyways! Hope you enjoyed! Please leave reviews! Or talk to me at my tumblr, windmilltothestars!
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)


	3. The Tavern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and the gang sit down to their very first session, which begins, as per a long and glorious tradition, in a tavern. A quest soon ensues.
> 
> Contains in-game violence, death and blood (which, let's be real, you can expect in most chapters from here on in) and a vague implied threat of torture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW THIS WAS LONG OVERDUE. It's been over a week, which I think we'll all agree is completely unacceptable. So I'll plan to publish about one chapter a week from now on. So the next one by next Sunday. They're long and draining, I (sort of) have a life, etc. Then if one comes out a day or two early, we can all be pleasantly surprised, and if it comes out a day our too late, we can all know we're justified in being angry with me. I might write some one-shots in this universe unrelated to D&D in the meantime. Stay tuned!
> 
> Enjoy! :)

It was Tuesday evening, the day of the first session. Everyone had arrived – Lafayette had brought croissants this time – but Alex hadn’t said a word since he arrived, carrying several large binders in addition to his manuals and about a dozen primary-colored spiral notebooks which still had the 15 cent sale price sticker on them, instead setting up the binders in a sort of wall around him, furiously rustling through his notes, muttering to himself and running his hands anxiously through his hair.

  
Herc, therefore, felt compelled to break the silence. He faced Burr and asked, “So, how’s Theodora?”

  
“It’s Theo _dos_ ia,” said Aaron irritably. He got embarrassed every time she was brought up, which was part of why Herc made a point to do it so often.

  
“Does she go by Doge?” Herc asked. “Like that dog meme? ‘Cuz if she doesn’t she’s missing a golden oppurt—”

  
“Theodosia is a _beautiful_ name,” Burr insisted. “I would – I would name my daughter that!”

  
“If I had a daughter,” said Eliza, “I would name her Angelica, after my big sister. What about you, John?”

  
“Oh, I don’t know,” said John, now looking embarrassed himself. “I’ll probably never have kids. But if I did, maybe I’d name her after my mom, I guess. Eleanor.”

  
“If I had a daughter,” said Lafayette, “I would call her whatever _mon cheri_ Adrienne desired! But if I had son, then with the leave of _mon cheri_ , I would name him Georges, after our beloved Professor Washington!”

  
“I’m still not convinced this girl actually exists,” said Burr, glad the attention was off his love life. “Having a girlfriend in France is like having a girlfriend in Canada. I’m gonna need some ocular proof.”

  
“I can show you the messages we have exchanged,” said Lafayette with a shrug, taking out his phone and going to the right screen. “They are in French, if you cannot read it, but you can read her name at the top there!” He passed the phone to Burr.

  
Somehow, this was enough to catch Alex’s attention, and he wordlessly came around the table to look at the texts as well. “Wow,” he said, examining the messages as Burr scrolled through them. “They use more heart emojis than _you_ do, Eliza; and oh _God,_ this is _poetry_ – come look at this!”

  
She acquiesced, and Alex and Eliza leaned in together to read the French love notes.

  
“These are so _sweet,”_ beamed Eliza, “I’ve counted five _je t’aime_ ’s already!”

  
“How are you not blushing?” Burr wondered aloud to Lafayette.

  
“I have nothing for which to blush,” said Lafayette serenely, his eyes alight with love. “I am not ashamed. I am proud of _mon cheri_ , unlike you, _Monsieur._ I am proud to know her.”

  
“Man, my French is getting rusty,” John said gloomily, leaning to glance at texts.

  
“ _Español es una lengua buena también_ ,” said Alex offhandedly, not looking up from deciphering the French.

  
John grinned. “ _Es verdad_.”

  
“How many languages do you know, Hamilton?” Aaron asked.

  
“English, French, Spanish, Latin, Hebrew, and Virgin Islands Creole,” he replied. “Though, that’s probably more of a dialect than a separate language from English.”

  
“In our _game,”_ Herc put in pointedly, “Lafayette’s character speaks Common, Gnomish, Sylvan and Elven.”

  
“Right,” said Hamilton, handing Lafayette his phone back, “we _should_ probably get started. Sorry for the delay, guys.” He returned to his place at the erroneously-designated head of the round table. “Why doesn’t everyone go around and just give a very brief introduction of your character, just to remind the other players who we’re working with, OK?” He gestured to his left. “Herc, you can start.”

  
“OK,” said Herc gamely, picking up his character sheet to read off of, “My character is Rhan-Duell, a Chaotic Good human fighter. I served in my local militia, until almost all my brothers-in-arms were killed in a minor border skirmish. Since then I’ve been laying low and waiting for the best opportunity to get back in the game and avenge my fallen comrades.”

  
“Good,” said Alex, “works well. Lafayette, who are you?”

  
Lafayette immediately stood up and gave a sweeping bow, and began in a booming theatrical voice,“ _Enchanté, mes amis_ , I am Tallevelle, the wizard! I studied classical magic at the best of schools to prepare for my position as guardian and servant wizard of a renowned Duke and his family. Quickly, I fell in forbidden love with his daughter, Adeline, but just as quickly fell out of love with the ideals of my master, and began to object to his orders, which oppressed all those in his power. Unwilling to take my Adeline from the life she deserved, but unwilling sacrifice my ideals for my love, I left his service. His rage at my betrayal and my lover’s broken heart would follow me and plague my steps, frightening others into offering me no help in fear of his wrath, and now I am fast approaching not only the end of my fortunes but the end of my hope . . .”

  
Lafayette had one hand on his chest and the other clenched into a dramatic fist, with his eyes closed, by the time he’d stopped speaking. Then he blinked and looked around with a grin. Eliza clapped politely for a few seconds before realizing no one else was, and John and Herc gave him thumbs-up.

  
“Good job,” said Alex. “That will be fun to work with. OK, Aaron, you’re up!”

  
“Right,” said Aaron, “not gonna try to top that for sheer drama. My character is called Ebenaire. As a kid he was a cabin boy on a naval ship, but the ship was quickly taken over by pirates, so he joined their crew. When they were taken down by another crew of rogues, he joined them. The ship changed hands so many times, and each time I joined the new crew. So many sailors from various crews in the long succession knew me that I was the most senior officer and I was able to convince enough of them that eventually we mutinied and I became the captain, and sailed her through many successful plunders. However, once on shore leave I got a little drunk, and when I woke up my crew had left me behind. Now I lie in wait, hoping my ship will come in, or that I can take command of another, to track down my old crewmates and show them who’s in charge.”

  
Alex nodded. “I like it,” he said thoughtfully. “It’s very . . . you.”

  
Aaron smiled, and everyone turned to face John. “Laurens?” Alex prompted.

  
Laurens immediately stood, as Lafayette had done, except with less affected drama and more relentless enthusiasm. “My character is Veromino, and he’s a knight errant! Originally the son of a human farmhand and a high-class elven lady of the woods – who gave up her status in elven society for the sake of her family – I never could decide which world I belonged to. My uncle on my mother’s side was in an Order of Paladins, and she with my father’s support desired that I should follow in that path, and so I apprenticed with my uncle, but even before I was dubbed, I was beginning to see the cracks in their ideals. They never wished me be with my father, thinking humanity would somehow poison me. Likewise, my father’s world saw the elf-folk as a threat to be avoided. Eventually, my disagreements with my elven relations and the Order came to a head and I was banished. But I was still a knight in my heart, and set out to make my name and right the wrongs of this world with nothing but my honor and my own two hands!”

  
John gave a blazing starry-eyed look, which Alexander returned to him with equal ardor. “That’s _beautiful,_ John. Beautiful.”

  
“Thanks, Alex,” said John, embarrassed.

"Can I just say," Herc put in, "that I'm not going to remember any of these names?"

"I don't think people ever do," John told him.

  
Finally Alexander turned to Eliza. “And who are you, dear?” he asked.

  
“My name is Calevidria,” she replied airily, looking down at her sheet, “Neutral Good Halfling Bard. My family mostly lived for their comfort and their neighbors. Each of my brothers and sisters served an essential role. One sister cooked our food, one sister tended the gardens, one brother planned all our social events. I, of course, played the music. But my twin brother was not like the rest of us. He was never satisfied. He dreamed of glory, and of knowledge beyond our humble comfortable ways. And so when he left to seek his fortune, I went with him, to record his adventures, to spread his renown, and serve him and keep his legacy. Everywhere he went, I followed. But at long last, he left me behind when he went to war, wishing to spare me from the danger he faced in battle. I was without a muse, and without purpose – for did I sing, except for my family? I was tempted to return home, but I wandered and wondered long and hard if I could find something else, some person, some cause, to live for, and to inspire my songs.”

  
This time Alexander showed his appreciation for the character by quickly reaching and taking Eliza’s hand and kissing it. “This is who we are,” he said quietly, glancing around the table, looking all his players hard in the face, “now,” he said, picking up a green notebook on which _Setting 1_ was scrawled in Sharpie, “as to _where_ we are.” He cleared his throat importantly.

  
“All of you have rested from your travels at a lively tavern in the seaport town of Mynisti. This town is about a four-day ride from the capital of the nation, Renisti, in the nation of Vespento. Vespento has been for several years on the very edge war with its current occupiers, the Tamoran Empire, the largest Empire in the Known Realms. Vespento is a land of scattered tribes and races, settlers and outcasts from the world over, and the rigid tyranny of the Empire, demanding a degree of cultural conformity and subservience and using fear as –”

  
“Alexander,” Lafayette suddenly asked shrewdly, “are you _sure_ you’re not running a Revolutionary War campaign?”

  
“It – might have been _inspired_ a bit,” Alexander admitted with a shrug. “What can I say? Professor Washington just makes you want to live it, you know? Not the dying of smallpox part, but the _strategy,_ the _camaraderie,_ the _sacrifices_ –”

  
“He does indeed,” said Lafayette dreamily.

  
“I thought you were choosing your setting based on what John wanted,” Burr said with a knowing smile and raised eyebrows.

  
“It’s – it’s the art of the compromise, Burr!” said Alexander with dignity. “Our nation was founded on it! I’m allowed creative license and – and sources of inspiration!”

  
“And here I was thinking you didn’t know what ‘compromise’ _meant,”_ Aaron muttered. “Well, color me impressed.”

  
“I don’t mind,” said John, “I like Professor Washington’s classes, too.”

  
“He’s overrated,” shrugged Aaron.

  
_“What_ did you say?!?” demanded Lafayette, Laurens and Hamilton in unison.

  
“I said . . . nothing,” Aaron lied wisely. “Nothing at all.”

  
“Good answer,” Herc muttered.

  
“No,” said Alexander seriously. “ _I_ want to _know.”_

  
“Drop it, Alex,” advised Herc.

  
“Please,” added Eliza beseechingly.

  
“No! This challenge demands satisfaction!” Alex snapped. “What do you have to say about Professor Washington?”

  
“Very little,” said Burr after a moment of hesitation. “Almost nothing, honestly. I’m sure he gives good lectures if you’re a history buff. My only personal interaction involves him rejecting my application for a TA position, so you can see why I wouldn’t feel super-warmly toward him. I’m not saying he’s _bad,_ though.”

  
“Alexander, are you satisfied?” asked Lafayette.

  
After another moment, Hamilton gave a curt nod.

  
“Good, so let’s get back to this setting,” Herc sighed in relief, once again trying to steer them back on track. “You said we were all in a tavern?”

  
“Yes,” said Alex. “The tavern – the thrum of life in all its variations – the escape every subject desires – danger or opportunity in every glance – the last line of defense – the spreading of knowledge and ideas – the exchange of words and challenges, deals and commerce, where mercenary schemers and hot-blooded youth alike can share a drink, a laugh, a thought – and where you five stranded wanderers have called your rest!

  
“This particular tavern, known as the Shifting Star, has a bit of reputation as tinderbox for rebellious sentiment – where potential rebels meet to share their plans and ideas, where alliances are struck. As of yet, there is no official war, but if anyone around these parts has anything to say about it, that won’t be for long . . .

  
“So, none of you know each other yet, you just all find yourself in this tavern,” Alex looked up from his notebook and faced them all. “What are you all doing?”

  
“I’m getting a drink,” said Herc. “And picking up chicks.”

  
“OK, you get a drink,” said Alex. “It costs a copper piece.”

  
Herc mimed raising a glass. _“L’chaim,”_ he said cheerfully, and mimed taking a drink.

  
“There’s a pretty elf lady sitting at the bar nearby. Roll if you want to charm her,” said Alex.

  
Herc rolled. “Twelve,” he reported.

  
“OK, you’re chatting her up and she’s _mildly_ interested. What about the rest of you?”

  
“I’m playing a song,” said Eliza. “Not one of my special boosting ones, just a nice folk song I know.”

  
Alex rolled his 20-sided die, which landed on 16. “And you’re drawing a good crowd,” he grinned. “Lots of admirers. OK, you guys?”

  
“I want to look around,” said Lafayette.

  
“Alright, roll me a spot check,” said Alex.

  
Lafayette rolled his die. “I rolled eight,” he said, “but I have skills and bonuses that make it more, I think, um –” he consulted his character sheet confusedly. “My Wisdom adds to that, I think, and I put 3 skill points in Spot, so . . .”

  
“Yeah,” said Alexander. “You do a decent sweep. There’s a dwarf bartender who just gave Herc his ale, and Herc there with the elf lady; there’s the crowd of mostly young soldiers and students watching Eliza’s performance; there’s another barmaid, half-elf by the look of her, waiting tables. Most of the tables have weather-beaten sailors or secretive mages sitting alone, though there’s one with a five Druid sisters playing a really intense game of Three-Dragon Ante. Pretty much everyone has a weapon, but amazingly, no one (so far) is fighting.”

  
“Do I see Burr and Laurens?” asked Lafayette. “Do I see what they’re doing?”

  
“Yes, you do,” said Alex. “Guys, what are you doing?”

  
“I’m looking for a quest!” said John. “I’m weaving through the tables, searching for someone who needs help!”

  
“Right,” said Alex. “One of the soldier boys watching Eliza turns to you and says, _Join our fight_!”

  
“Then I clasp him by the hand and say, _I will gladly join the fight_!” John replied.

  
“You’re not gonna ask which fight he’s talking about?” Aaron wondered.

  
Alex was smiling fondly. “The guy buys you a drink,” he told Laurens, “and starts talking about the revolution, and the horrors of the Tamoran Empire. He’s a little younger than you, you notice, but his light of rebellion is ablaze in his eyes. He tell you how he and his brothers’ farm was seized by the Tamoran Army because they couldn’t both feed themselves and pay their taxes.”

  
“I am outraged,” said John fervently.

  
“I scoot a little closer to listen to this conversation,” Herc added.

  
“The guy proposes an alliance in the name of freedom,” said Alex.

  
“I raise a glass to freedom!”

  
“Good,” said Alex. “So while you’re talking to him, Aaron, what are you doing?”

  
“I’m buying drinks for sailors,” he said, “Trying to get a read on their alliances and if I can recruit them into joining my crew.”

  
“Right,” said Alex. “Lafayette, you see all this – John’s joining a revolution, Aaron’s schmoozing with sailors. Do you do anything?”

  
“I also hone in on John’s talk with the soldier,” said Lafayette.

  
“OK,” said Alex. “So, you’re all scattered throughout the room doing all this, when suddenly – a mysterious old man in long cloak and a wide-brimmed hat bursts through the door. He staggers about five steps before collapsing in the center of the room.”

  
“I run over to him to see if he’s OK!” said Eliza.

  
“So do I!” said John.

  
“OK, you both reach him about the same time,” said Alex, “Eliza’s closer, but since she’s a Halfling John has longer legs. He’s coughing blood. It’s not pretty.”

  
“I try to get his attention,” said John, “I grab his hand. _Sir? Can you speak? What happened to you?_ ”

  
“I go to the bar to get him a glass of water,” said Eliza.

  
“I grab one from the bar and pass it to Eliza before she makes it there,” said Herc, “and I walk back with her.”

  
“I join them at his side,” said Lafayette, “I have a healing Potion in my Inventory. I offer it to him.”

  
“He waves away the Potion, but accepts the water,” said Alex, then affecting a dramatic raspy voice, “ _It’s too late for meeee_ , he says, _But you cannot let my quest fail_ . . .”

  
“What quest?” demanded John.

  
“ _It is vital for the survival of my people, for the survival of free will in our world! You must take this_ ,—he hands you a thick envelope – _and deliver it to General Rolando in the city of Fronisti! Our survival depends upon it. The survival of_ – ”Alex turned his head to the side and coughed dramatically, “— _the survival of the rebellion depends upon it._ ”

  
“I will!” vowed John, “I swear on my life!”

  
“ _Not your life! Reckless boys set no store by their lives! Swear on your honor_!”

  
John held his hand to his chest and said earnestly, “I swear on my honor!”

  
“The old man smiles,” said Alex, “ _Now . . . I may die in peace_ , he says, _Don’t let me down, son . . ._ His eyes slide shut and he falls limp. He is no more.”

  
“I _won’t_ let you down,” said John.

  
“ _Mon ami_ , I think he is dead,” said Lafayette mournfully. “But you may rely on me to help you complete his quest!” He gave another sweeping bow.

  
“And whatever good I can do,” said Eliza, “I’ll join you, and do it.”

  
Herc’s lips twitched a minute before he said, “You have my sword,” causing Eliza to giggle and Lafayette to double over in laughter.

  
“The soldier boy you were talking to also joined you,” said Alex, “He adds, _And mine_.”

  
“For the right price,” Burr put in, “I could help you guys get there. I know that town lies across the sea, and with the right crew and the right ship, we could get there in no time.”

  
“How much?” asked John.

  
Burr said, “Just a sec,” and consulted his Inventory to decide on his price.

  
Eliza said uncertainly, “So should we try to . . . bury this guy? Inform his relatives? Do we know his name?”

  
“His service to his country was more important to him than that we knew his name,” said John fervently. “He is the unnamed, unknown soldier, the unsung hero of our history – but when we reach the General, he will tell us who he was, and then the world will know his name!”

  
“Yes,” said Eliza, “I’ll make sure the world knows his name! I won’t let them forget it!”

  
“Burr, have you come up with a price?” asked Herc.

  
“I know I haven’t really explained this setting’s financial system,” said Alex apologetically. “But I have it all written out. Maybe that would help you decide on a reasonable price. Yeah, let me see here . . .” He pulled out a separate notebook with _Setting Financial System_ scrawled across it.

  
“Is that an _entire_ notebook _just_ about the setting’s financial system?” Burr asked, aghast.

  
“Well, you know I like to be thorough,” shrugged Alexander. _“And_ I was gonna be an Econ Major.”

  
“How –?” Burr began helplessly. _“How?”_

  
“I don’t think . . . we need the _full_ explanation, Alex,” Herc pleaded weakly.

  
“Yeah, I’ll just say I want fifty gold,” Burr added quickly, then he amended, “No, sixty. Fifteen from each of you.”

  
“But that’s an _outrageous_ price in this economy–” Alex began.

  
“Don’t care,” said Burr. “I’m a pirate.”

  
_“Fine,”_ said Alex. “You charge them sixty gold, but there’s five of them, remember? John’s friend the soldier boy agreed to come, too. So _sixty_ doesn’t divide as easily.”

  
“OK, then I charge seventy-five,” Burr shrugged.

  
“What are you even _offering_ us?” Lafayette demanded. “You don’t _have_ a ship right now, you don’t _have_ a crew! You, _mon ami_ , are going to have to sell it better than _that!”_

  
“No, but I have experience on the seas,” Burr insisted. “And experience evading notice from local authorities.”

  
“Your character does, in theory,” Herc said suspiciously, “but does he have actual skills written down that are actually going to help us, that are worth that much money?”

  
“Herc, let’s keep this in-character,” said Alex, “as far you know, this guy does have a lot of knowledge and skills than can help you on your quest. No need to think outside of your character.”

  
“Should we take the deal?” John asked, turning to Eliza.

  
“If he can help us,” she said uncertainly. “Do we _have_ that much money?”

  
“I don’t,” said Lafayette, “I’m almost broke, if you recall.”

  
“OK, while you guys are deciding, the door to tavern bursts open again, and outside is a fully-armed battalion of Tamoran soldiers,” said Alex. “About ten of them come through the door, yelling, _We know he’s here! Give him up if you want to live!_ ”

  
John’s fists clenched. “I get in front of the dead man. I tell them, _You’ll never take him_!”

  
“He is dead,” said Lafayette fiercely, “He has already escaped your hunt; you will never have him now!”

  
“The lead guy in the battalion breathes a sigh of relief,” said Alex, “he says, _If he’s dead than the information would have died with him – unless he wrote it down – unless_ . . . He looks suspiciously around the bar, _unless he told one of you something_.”

  
“We’d never tell you even he did!” John shot at him fiercely.

  
Herc and Burr buried their faces in their hands. “John, shut _up,”_ Herc begged.

  
Alex faced Herc. “Did you say that out loud? I mean, in-character?”

  
“No,” Herc said quickly. “I didn’t say a word.”

  
“Fellas,” said Burr in an ingratiating tone, “you know these guys’ types. Young guns just trying to prove to each other they’re tough. This man didn’t say a word. Came in here and dropped dead, that’s all. We don’t want no trouble. You can search his corpse if you like.”

  
“ _That wouldn’t tell us anything_ , says the lead soldier,” said Alex, “ _Even if you’re telling the truth, finding nothing on his corpse doesn’t rule out the possibility that he told someone something out loud. Which means . . ._ an evil grin spreads across this guy’s face as he fingers his sword, _we’re going to have to interrogate everyone in this tavern._

  
_“Like hell you are! says another voice._ It’s John’s friend, the soldier boy. _It’s me you want!_ He says _. I’m the one he told! So take me in! Don’t punish everyone here!”_

  
“No,” breathed John in horrified whisper.

  
“Your friend steps forward and holds out his hands, prepared to be clasped in iron. He looks back at you for a split second and mouths, _For freedom_. Then without a stir of mercy, the lead Tamoran soldier slashes him through the heart.”

  
“Nooooooooo!” exclaimed John.

  
“I draw my sword at that,” said Herc.

  
“ _Don’t punish everyone?_ Laughs the soldier, wiping your friend’s blood on his pant leg. _Now where would be the fun in that?_ ” said Alex tauntingly.

  
“I take out my sword and charge that guy!” John cried.

  
“I’m – gonna try to hold him back,” said Eliza.

  
“K, roll me a strength check,” said Alex. She did so, and pulled a face. “K, so you don’t quite hold him back, but you slow him down, grab unto his hand and get his attention.”

  
“He didn’t die for you to go out like this,” she said earnestly, facing John. “Remember your promise. Stay alive.”

  
“He will not have died in vain, _mon ami_ ,” said Lafayette gently. “But this is a fight we cannot win.”

  
“Do you stop?” asked Alex.

  
“I – I drop my sword and sink to my knees,” he replied dully. “He was – my _brother_ – and I let him _die_ . . .”

  
“Oh, c’mon, John, you knew the guy for half an hour, tops,” said Burr.

  
“I didn’t even know his _name,”_ said John in tones of muted horror.

  
Burr shook his head and turned to Alex. “I face the soldiers, saying _Fellas, I think this is all a big misunderstanding._ I’m gonna use Diplomacy to try to convince them and distract them.”

  
“K, roll for it,” said Alex. Burr did so.

  
“Nineteen,” said Burr.

  
“OK, so they’re listening to you, very skeptically, with raised eyebrows, for the moment,” said Alex, sounding put-out.

  
“While they’re distracted, I look for an escape route,” said Lafayette immediately. He rolled his Spot check. “Six, plus bonuses.”

  
“Luckily for you, the answer isn’t hard to find,” said Alex. That half-elf barmaid is beckoning toward you, when you slide together, she whispers, _I know a way out. Follow me_.”

  
“So I can just – grab all the others and take them with me and follow her?” Lafayette wondered.

  
“Ah –” Alex considered. “Why doesn’t everyone roll me a stealth check?”

  
Lafayette rolled very well this time, everyone else rolled middling scores which Alex gave a pass to, but Herc rolled – a three.

  
“One of those big fancy shoulder epaulettes on your armor bangs against the doorframe as your following through the door,” said Alex. “The noise resounds throughout the tavern and the soldiers all immediately lock eyes on you.”

  
“Time to run,” said Burr.

  
“You follow them?” asked Alex, and Burr nodded.

  
“Right, and the soldiers chase after you guys as you’re climbing the stairs. Luckily, a lot of the other patrons are on your side, so they try to delay and interrupt them as best they can, buying you a bit more time. You follow the barmaid to the top floor, and into what seems to be her bedroom, and get the door shut and locked behind you.”

  
“Is there a way out on the top floor?” demanded Lafayette.

  
“The woman opens her window and points upward. There’s a slack rope, like a clothesline, hanging between the top of this building and the one across the street.”

  
“Oh dear,” said Eliza.

  
“Meanwhile, the guards have made it up the staircase and are banging on the door.”

  
“I’ll guard the door, block it and hold it shut” said Herc. “Wait for everyone to get across.”

  
“I could join you,” said John.

  
“No, you’ve got the envelope, you’ve got the vital information and the promise to keep,” said Herc. “You’ve gotta go first.”

  
“ _I_ will join you,” said Lafayette, “We may even prevail if they make it through. With the narrowness of the stairway they will have to fight us one at a time, taking away must of their advantage in numbers.”

  
“How wide is the gap between the two buildings?” Burr wondered. “I wonder if someone with good enough dexterity could jump it.”

  
“I have pretty good dexterity,” said John.

  
“Yeah, but aren’t you wearing heavy armor? That’d probably weigh you down,” Aaron pointed out.

  
“Was I?” John wondered, consulting his character sheet. “I don’t remember which armor I picked. No, it was just leather, it’s not that heavy.”

  
“Eliza’s like three feet tall and wearing light flashy silks,” said Aaron. “Maybe _she_ should go first.”

  
“While you’re busy speculating, a blade has just poked through the door,” said Alex.

  
“OK, we’ve got to go,” said John. “I reach up and grab the rope and then try to hoist myself up.”

  
Alex sucked the air noisily through his teeth. “What is your Dex again, John?”

  
“Uh, fourteen,” John informed him.

  
“K, roll for Use Rope, I guess – well, just give me a roll.”

  
It was a seven. Alex scrunched up his face. “You didn’t handle with enough care,” he said apologetically, “You break the rope and swing across smashing into the other building. You take –” he rolled –“six damage, let’s say breaking your wrist, and you couldn’t help yelling a little in pain, and alerting the guards that were still patrolling outside the tavern. You _are_ able to scramble up and climb through the window, though.”

  
“Well, _we’re_ all doomed,” said Aaron flatly.

  
_“Non,”_ said Lafayette determinedly. “There must be something else we can use here. With the leave of the generous lady of the house, I wish to search the room for any other helpful objects.”

  
“And I’ll join him,” said Eliza fiercely. “We’ll go faster.”

  
“She lets you,” said Alex. “Right, roll me some spot checks, the both of you.”

  
They did so, and found nothing but the poor women’s clothing, jewelry, books and mementos. The soldiers outside the door had now broken off the knob and were rolling strength checks against Herc to see if they could force it open.

  
“Maybe I can look in this room, too,” John offered. “What _is_ the building across the street?”

  
“Let me see,” said Alex, taking out yet another notebook labelled _Maps._

  
“Have you written everything out by hand?” demanded Aaron. “All those notebooks? Haven’t you ever heard of a computer, dude?”

  
“My computer’s unreliable,” said Alex shortly. “It crashed and I lost forty-five pages once. I haven’t trusted it since.”

  
“Why did you write forty-five pages without saving?” demanded Herc.

  
“Oh, sure, blame _me,”_ said Alex savagely. “I think the _real_ question is, why is this _machine,_ that exists _purely_ to do my bidding, that I paid through the _nose_ for, not doing its _damned_ job?”

  
“Did you have a million tabs open?” wondered Aaron. “Were you trying to run a high-res game or something?”

  
“No!” said Alex. “My computer’s just fragile. I got it secondhand, and it _came_ with scary noises if I move it wrong and low stress tolerance!”

  
“Remind me to get you a sturdier model for Christmas,” Burr muttered.

  
“I don’t need your pity,” Hamilton shot back. “John, the building across the street is an antique shop/bazaar. You’re up in the storeroom. There’s lots of fancy rugs and old dishes and silverware and such.”

  
“Maybe one of them is a magic carpet,” laughed Eliza. “That would help us.”

  
“That’s not a bad thought,” said Lafayette. “John, see if any of them are!”

  
“How do I tell?” asked John.

  
“You’d have to have Detect Magic,” said Alex, “which you don’t.”

  
“But I do,” said Lafayette, “what’s the range on it, Alexander?”

  
“It’s – enough, if John’s holding it out the window,” said Alex, after some hesitation.

  
“I grab every rug in the place and hold them out the window,” John said immediately.

  
“And I detect magic,” said Lafayette.

  
Lafayette rolled a fifteen. Alex made his own roll.

  
“These are _happy_ dice,” said Alex. “You find that the green one in John’s hand is magical.”

  
“I throw the rest of them back on the ground and get on it,” said John.

  
“And you cross the gap and pick everyone up everyone else?” asked John.

  
“Yeah,” John agreed. “The barmaid, too, if she wants to join us, which, considering those guys are breaking down her door, maybe she should.”

  
“Alright, everyone roll to not trip as you’re getting on this thing,” said Alex.

  
Eliza and Lafayette both tripped, but John caught Eliza and Herc caught Lafayette.

  
“Everyone’s on? How do I control this thing?” asked John.

  
“I’d just lean which way you want to go,” suggested Lafayette.

  
“Does that work?” John asked.

  
“Yes,” said Alex. “So you're riding this thing upward and away from the guards on the ground. Where are you headed?”

  
“Out to sea,” said Burr, “we’ll stow away on some ship and they won’t be able to follow us!”

  
“Works for me,” said John, “I lean to head out to sea.”

  
“Alright,” said Alex, “so you guys are speeding above the town, trying to get out to sea, but this isn’t a particularly fast carpet, so the guards on the ground are chasing you. They’ve got three wizards with them as well. They’re shooting fireballs.”

  
Herc groaned. Alex rolled the die several times.

  
“Oh, _that_ one hit you,” he said matter-of-factly. “The magic carpet is now slowly burning to a crisp beneath you. I’d give you five hundred more yards.”

  
“I – I ask the barmaid her name,” said John.

  
Alex paused a moment, stunned, then smiled fondly. _“Avondrea,_ she says.”

  
_“Avondrea,”_ John repeated. “ _You’re not going to die for helping us!_ Can I see anything that we can fall on that would be less dangerous? Anything soft?”

  
Alex consulted his map, gritting his teeth. “There isn’t really anything in range,” he said.

  
“Alright, so I angle and lean down,” said John. “Just trying to get as close to the ground as possible.”

  
“The guards see what you’re doing and let off another round of fireballs,” said Alex, rolling. “And two of them hit you, incinerating the remainder of the carpet in an instant. You’re all in free-fall.”

  
“I cast Feather Fall,” said Lafayette urgently.

  
“Thank God you remembered that,” said Alex. “You all fall slowly and land without injury. But, of course, the guards are still chasing you.”

  
“We should get out of the same street, so they can’t hit us long-range,” said Lafayette.

  
“Toward the ocean,” said Burr.

  
“So you duck into the nearest side street in the direction of the ocean,” said Alex, “and you all keep running?”

  
The party all nodded vigorously. Alex did some quick calculations. “Based on their speed and your speed and their distance from you, if you’re sure to keep out the same streets as them, and keep them guessing which way you went down before they turn a corner, I think I can say you reach the shore about five minutes before they would catch up to you.”

  
“Are there any boats nearby?” asked Eliza. “Either tied in a harbor or otherwise?”

  
“The harbor with the empty boats is a ways off,” said Alex, consulting his map, and then his watch. “But as luck would have it,” he said, “there’s a small fishing sloop about a hundred yards out, that just set out for the evening.”

  
“How good are we all at swimming?” wondered Burr.

  
“I have _huge metal armor_ ,” said Herc despondently.

  
“You’re gonna have to take it off, man,” said Burr. “We’re swimming out to that thing.”

  
Herc did so with very bad grace. “Everyone roll me a swim check, and factor in strength.”

  
Everyone did so. Eventually Herc had to half-carry John because his injured wrist impeded his swimming and because he hold up the dead man’s precious document to keep it from smearing its ink in the water, and Eliza and Lafayette, being smaller and weaker, clung to Burr and the barmaid for support. But they made it to the side of the boat, banged against the planks desperately, and were subsequently hauled aboard by a confused-looking fisherman and his son.

  
“Did the guards see is? Did they ever know we were going to shore?” asked Lafayette warily.

  
Alex rolled, scrunching his nose. “No,” he decided. “You confused them weaving through the streets for a good long time. They might have made it to the shore by now, but if you all lie flat on the bottom of the boat, they won’t see you.”

  
“Right,” said Lafayette. “Let’s do that.”

  
“They don’t see you,” said Alex, decisively. “They move on to look somewhere else.”

  
“I, for one, would like to heave a sigh of relief,” said Hercules fervently.

  
“Seconded,” said Eliza.

  
“I ask the fisherman and his son their names,” said John.

  
“The dad is Tor, the son is Kor,” said Alex.

  
“ _I_ ,” said Burr seriously, “would like to open up that damned envelope and see what we all just risked our lives for.”

  
“Would you?” said Alex.

  
“I would,” said Burr.

  
“I would, too,” said Lafayette.

  
“Well,” said Alex, with a wicked grin. “For _that,_ you’re going to have to wait ‘til next session!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In all honesty, the campaign plot is probably a lot more Star Wars (get the Death Star plans to the Rebel base!) than Revolutionary War, but only because its author knows significantly more about the former than the latter. Rest assured Alexander's fourteen notebooks contain pages upon pages of setting details inspired by the Revolutionary War. He is a far better-planned DM than I. I tend to make up setting details as I go to serve the plot, shame on me. But take a minute to consider the meta levels in a group of people in a modern college AU based on a 21st century musical about people in Revolutionary War times playing a game that translates Revolutionary War times into a vague medieval fantasy setting. Glorious!
> 
> Here, have some sources about various D&D tropes and concepts:
> 
> http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DungeonmastersGirlfriend  
> http://web.archive.org/web/20100213070917/http://www.io.com/~angilas/5gamers.html  
> http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheSixStats  
> http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RulesLawyer
> 
> Helpful to think about and adapt for one's own purposes.
> 
> So here's a thing that's been bugging me, that I worried would bug others. I have a poem at the beginning of the first chapter, that describes the the characters as "Two immigrants, three rich kids, and their working-class RA" which is all well and good except -- Hercules Mulligan (the working class RA) is also and immigrant (from Ireland when he was 6, I believe) and Lafayette, in addition to being an immigrant, is also undeniably a rich kid. However, saying "three immigrants, four rich kids and their working-class RA" would give the impression that there were more characters than there are. Probably no one thought about this at all, so I kept it like that. Man it's late. 
> 
> Please fill those comment boxes with your questions and objections and suggestions of things you want to happen and favorite bits, and over-analyze everything and give me headcanons and whatever you like. Again, on tumblr, I am windmilltothestars, and my ask box is v. lonely.
> 
> Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed!! :D

**Author's Note:**

> Hamilton's door dec is Sonic. Of course it is.
> 
> I'm windmilltothestars on tumblr is you want to talk!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are lovely and the next chapter should be up soon!!


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